


The Thief: An unexpected Pirate.

by Weirdwolfteaser



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: ? - Freeform, Actual Thief Bilbo Baggins, All-Knowing Balin, Alternate universe: Pirates, Awesome Bombur, BAMF Bofur, BAMF Tauriel, Balin Is So Done, Bifur Is a Sweetheart, Bifur's Axe Injury, Bilbo is So Done, Bilbo is a girl, Boats, Do I need to be any clearer?, Dwalin Is A Softie, Elrond is unfortunate, Emotionally Constipated Thorin, F/M, Female Bilbo, Female Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield, Fire, Flashbacks, Fíli and Kíli Are Little Shits, Gandalf Meddles, Gandalf Ships It, Gloin is very protective, Humans sort of, Legolas Greenleaf & Tauriel Friendship, Lindir deserves a raise, M/M, Male everyone else, Minor Character Death, More to add - Freeform, Mother Hen Dori, Ori is lovely, Party King Thranduil, Sassy Bilbo Baggins, Spymaster Nori (Tolkien), Swearing, Thorin Is an Idiot, Thorin's A+ Parenting, Thranduil's A+ Parenting, Violence, fem!Bilbo, hobbit au, Òin is also extremely done
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-27
Updated: 2016-02-27
Packaged: 2018-05-22 15:53:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6085785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weirdwolfteaser/pseuds/Weirdwolfteaser
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a house, in Jamaica, the Shire, there lives a young Hobbit, Lady of the manor by day, thief by night. Well, until she retired.</p><p>She had become respectable, if strange, but was perfectly content. </p><p>Until her Godfather had to come along and ruin everything, bringing with him a merry band of Pirates! </p><p>She wanted no part of it, no, thank you very much! But... Maybe she'd just... Listen to their story, and their Captain was rather nice... </p><p>Oh, fine! She'd go, if only to save these sorry fools from themselves! And a dragon...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Thief: An unexpected Pirate.

Belladonna Nightshade Baggins was perfectly content with her life. She was the only daughter, and, indeed, only _child_ of Lord Bungo Baggins, who was an only child himself, and was therefore, his only heir. She'd grown up like all of the other children in the Shire; pampered. Of course, she wasn't a _brat_ about it. Unlike most of them, she had no _room_ to be a brat.

This was because her mother was a Took, and no proper Took would ever in a million years allow their child to become such a vile thing as a _brat_! Any good and proper Took would, of _course_ , let their child run wild. It was simply the way things were. Tooks ran wild. The sky was blue. Simple. Of course, Belladonna's mother, her namesake, went above and beyond what any _normal_ Took did. She didn't just teach her baby about their home island, like most other Tooks, no. She took her Bella all over the world to teach her survival skills. And from that: her career was born.

Bella was not only heir to her father, she was heir to her mother too. And her mother's legacy was much more... _Illicit_ than most, for Belladonna Amaryllis Took was the greatest thief in all of Arda. The only name that everyone else outside the Shire knew her as was: The Poison Shadow.

It was somewhat of a tough act to follow, but Belladonna the younger took it up with all the grace and ease of a professional, gaining her own name; one much closer to home. Deadly Nightshade. Not many were bright enough to notice the similarities between the two thieves; similar names, similar styles and methods... Those who did kept it to themselves, or they often went missing.

But, her mother and father had died, leaving her lost, and alone. She gave up her thieving, and took up her father's mantle. This left her somewhat restricted, but there was nothing else for it; not many men were like her father, willing to overlook her _little trips_ as her mother had called them.

She was the most eligible bachelorette in the Shire, and even beyond. Yet, she never had to marry if she didn't want to, as she could claim to be busy with her estate. However, that had its down sides, because as a _Lady_ , people would always judge her.

They would _never_ stop measuring her up against men, and telling her that a man could do so much better. She couldn't even grieve for her own parents without fear of people trying to take everything away. Bag End, her parents' belongings... It could go on forever.

So, when her ever-wandering Godfather, Gandalf Grey ( _The_ Gandalf, Pirate Lord) showed up, asking her beseechingly to go on another of their once-frequent 'adventures' she was fully prepared to say no, thank you, not this time... But then he turned those damnable puppy-dog eyes on her, and she was unsure. She found herself saying 'maybe' instead.

Three days later, and a knock came on her door. Her Uncle _must_ have been getting slow. She opened it, only half expecting her Godfather, and instead found herself facing a Pirate. It had to be one, for no other type of man could pull off that much leather. If nothing else, the numerous weapons would've told her that. So, she admitted him.

The manor itself was surrounded by dense foliage right the way down to the private cove, where the path to the other homes on the island was. This meant that no nosy relatives would see, and her staff were loyal, as well as sworn to secrecy. Even so, she looked around frantically, before pulling him in.

With a look that she decided to interpret as slightly amused, instead of angry, the burly man bowed slightly, before kissing her hand. "Dwalin." He grunted shortly. "At your service, my Lady."

She smiled warmly at him. "Belladonna Baggins, at yours, Master Dwalin. Tell me, are there others on their way?" She replied cheerily and swooping into a slight curtsy. She'd perfected it by this point; no Sackville-Baggins _witch_ was going to tell her off for not being a proper Lady!

"They sent me up ahead to test th'waters, so to speak." He smiled, as she slammed the door hurriedly closed behind him. "What's wrong? Not used to having people sneak in through the front entrance?" He smirked mischievously, eyes roaming up and down her figure. Without looking, she reached all the way up, and slapped him on the back of the head, leading him further into the house.

"Master Dwalin! That is no way to speak to a Lady." She admonished playfully. She waved a hand to indicate the house. "Please, make yourself comfortable. Cook and myself have _almost_ finished a meal for you all."

He did so, settling himself in her quaint little parlour, looking _dreadfully_ out of place with his scruffy outfit, and with war hammers and axes strapped to him. "Just Dwalin, Mistress. Never been a 'Master' in m'life. Never will be, either, if I have m'way." He winked. She laughed happily, suddenly realising how much she'd missed the company of folk such as Pirates.

"Well then, I suppose you'll just have to call me Bell then, if I'm to use _your_ given name!"

The door was then knocked upon for a second time, and Bella rushed to admit her next pirate, as Dwalin laughed at her.

The pirate standing there was a portly older fellow, with snowy hair and a beard as long, if not longer, than Dwalin's. "Balin, at your service, My Lady! Tell me, am I late?" 

"Belladonna Baggins, at yours. No, no, you're only the second to arrive, my good Sir! No need to fret." She greeted. Before long he was following her obediently into her parlour.

"Brother!" They greeted one another joyfully, and Bella stopped to properly size them up. 

Bell was tall, for a Hobbit, but she was still _extremely_ short compared to most people. These two were no exception, she noted with some amusement. Dwalin wasn't _dizzyingly_ tall, to her mind, but Gandalf had always towered over everyone apart from the long-lived Elves and other peoples dotted around Arda, whom he was quite even with, height-wise. But that wasn't to say that Dwalin's height wasn't impressive; his brother was shorter, but not by much, and the younger had to be six feet tall. 

To be honest, most of their similarities ended there. Balin was quite obviously older, his hair and roundness giving it away instantly. Their eyes were similar, but not the same. Balin's were a sparkling blue-grey, with a hint of youthful mischief, whereas Dwalin's were more stormy, hinting at violence, but with a starkly similar mischief held within.

Although younger, Dwalin was _completely_ bald on his head, with a black, bushy beard. The two did share a face and nose shape, but Bella supposed that they took after separate parents, like her cousin Drogo and his sister, Lily.

A knock sounded on the door _again_ , and Bella answered it to two young lads, one with hair dark as night, and the other as golden as the sun. "Fìli and Kìli, at your service, Lady." They said in sync, and kissed her hands. Refusing to be flustered, she took the two of them in. The blonde, she wasn't sure which was which, had warm blue-green eyes, matched by the dark-haired one. Relatives, then. The shorter one was definitely older, with a moustache and beard to be proud of. The younger one couldn't be too far behind age-wise, but only had a small sprouting of stubble.

She noted and took all of this in within seconds, and answered them before a pause could be noticed. "Belladonna Baggins, at yours." She returned quickly, already tiring of introducing herself repeatedly. "Also, my apologies, but which one is which?" She asked with a small, (fake) embarrassed, laugh. It was cleared up quickly enough, and she waved for them to follow her.

Soon enough, the two were also sitting happily in the parlour alongside the two they'd greeted as _cousins_ , if her rudimentary Khudzul (forbidden as it was for her to know) was right. Just as she was about to tell them that their meal was ready, someone else abused her poor door. She opened it, and didn't even have time to _brace_ herself as she was nearly flattened by an avalanche of pirates. They apologised profusely, of course, before introducing themselves. However, she was so flustered that she forgot most of their names. But she didn't miss the way most of them eyed her up and down.

Then, she caught sight of the openly laughing face of her Godfather in the doorway. " **You**!" She near on roared at him. The pirates turned to her, astonished. " **Oh, just _stand there and watch_ as I'm almost _crushed_ to death, and by pirates that you invited to my house!** I was expecting something like this, thank goodness, so at _least_ there's food!" She shouted.

"Food?" Asked Kìli, hopefully. Her demeanour changed immediately back into that of a charming host. She gave Gandalf a sideways glare as she turned to her guests. 

"Of _course_ , dear. This way, Gentlemen." She smiled serenely at them, as if she hadn't just gone mad at a _Pirate Lord_ in front of them. "Is this all of your number?"

Dwalin dipped his head in thanks. "All but our Captain, _Bell_." He rumbled, smirking at her where the others couldn't see.

"There should be plenty then." She nodded, ignoring the scandalised looks, Gandalf's wink, and the jealous glares directed at Dwalin. He was her _favourite_ she decided. She lead them into the dining room, and then simply waited.

They followed her in, and she knew the exact second that they noticed the amount of food. All talk stopped. It was, truly, a mountain. There were countless pies, all different meats and combinations. There was a suckling pig, a roast goose, fish dishes, steaks, sausages, eggs, salads and much more littered throughout. All thought seemed to vanish into chaos.

She watched, in horrified fascination. It had been a long time since she'd seen a pirate who wasn't Gandalf, and she'd never seen them eat. They fell upon the little feast like drowning men gasped in air, and she was glad she'd made the decision to go overboard with the preparations. She knew that pirates went without much food whilst travelling, but she'd never seen a bunch who were (mostly) so thin. 

It took her back to eighteen years ago.

**She was ten, and off on a _little trip_ with her mother. They were having a nice enough time, until she almost fell through a glass panel in their target's roof. Someone shouted for the authorities, and they were off running, before the person could see more than Bell's foot and the sweep of their cloaks. They ended up in the slums, skulking around near the darker, scarier allies, when she saw them. Five orphaned children, all crouching around a sixth, who was on the floor. It wasn't moving. The children were thinner than anything she'd ever seen, even in some of the nastier cities, and none like them could be found in the Shire. One turned, catching her eye. Her eyes were the thing that stood out most. Her face was so hollow that each bone was poking outwards and those eyes protruded like something monstrous. Then she saw the cracked lips, and bleeding gums. By this point, her mother must have noticed and she breathed in sharply. They left the city that night, without the treasure they'd stolen. They'd exchanged it for common currency and given every last penny of it to those children. When they returned home, her father took one look at the sadness in her face and never asked about the souvenir they'd promised him...**

She shook herself out of the memory, and even managed a smile as one of the men threw a boiled egg at the roundest of their number, who caught it in his mouth with ease, like it was practiced. These men were _not_ like those children, she told herself firmly.

Finally, they were finished, and as Bella was about to start cleaning their plates up, they started throwing them. As she screeched about her mother's china and her knives, they started singing, of all things. Just as she felt like committing murder, they parted to reveal dishes so clean, they shined. She gaped at them for a moment before smiling gratefully. 

Before any more could be said or done, a knock reverberated through the house, and everyone suddenly became somber. "He's here." Said Gandalf, quite unnecessarily.

He opened the door before Bella could, to reveal the most deliciously handsome man she'd ever seen. She thought very briefly about what he'd look like without the armour and fur, licking her lips, and it was great... Until he opened his mouth and ruined it. 

"Grey! I thought you said this place was easily found. I lost my way, twice. And all for some high-born Lord who probably has more money than sense." He said angrily. Bella was shell-shocked. _How **dare** he_?

Gandalf had the good sense to interrupt before she could. "Thorin Oakenshield! May I present to you Lady Belladonna Baggins-"

"The wife of our would-be Burglar? Yes, hello madam. Although why he'd leave such a _pretty_ treasure out where anyone could steal her away, I have _no_ clue. Ever thought of leaving your husband and going for a real man?" He leered, smiling like a predator.

Gandalf's expression became thunderous, but it was nothing compared to Bella's reaction. She didn't give her Godfather a chance to interrupt for her.

" **Excuse you**!" She erupted. " **How _dare_ you come into my home, and start insulting me! First of all, how could you _possibly_ get lost? There is _one_ path! Secondly, my wealth, yes, _mine_ , is none of your business! Also, I am not married, nor is there a Lord of _this_ house! This place is mine, and mine alone, you presumptuous fool! And if you ever talk about my person as though I'm some stupid doll again, I will gut you like the vile creature that you are!" She exploded scathingly, before slapping him so hard that his head snapped back audibly.**

Gandalf stepped between them before Thorin could recover, and the pirates looked so shocked that you could've knocked them down with a feather. Bella heaved breaths in and out behind her Godfather, shaking with rage.

"As I was saying. This is Lady Belladonna Baggins, heir of Lord Bungo Baggins, _my Goddaughter_ , and your new Burglar." Gandalf interrupted smoothly, ice in his tone.

"This... Woman. This is our Burglar?" Thorin demanded. "She looks like she should be tending children, not stealing priceless heirlooms. There is no way you're letting a woman on my ship. It's bad luck. And even so, I'll bet you don't even know how to use a weapon." He spat harshly, eyeing her with cruelty rather than the lust that some of the others had favoured her with.

Bella stepped out from behind her Godfather. She would not cower behind her guardian like a child, especially not when she was getting ready to take another shot at him. She wanted to break his nose, she decided.

"I'll have you know that my being a female changes absolutely nothing! As for tending children, you can take your sword and stick it where the sun doesn't shine. If I were to steal for you, I'd wager that I could do it better than anyone, man or not! Plus, I have some skill in _conkers_ , if you must know!" Belladonna raged with sarcasm clear in her tone. "Uncle Gandalf. I said that maybe I'd help you; however, if you wanted to convince me, you shouldn't have invited thirteen strange men into my home without saying a word, nor should you have invited that insulting, rude, idiotic _bastard_ of a rat!"

"My dear, wouldn't you at least like to hear of what we're trying to accomplish?" Gandalf twinkled, changing track, and catching her curiosity before she could act on her desire to hit him.

"Of course. But it's the principal of the matter." She sniffed haughtily, playing the part of the gossiping Lady once more. However, she stalked into the dining room away from them, still clearly fuming.

Grinning broadly, Gandalf left, victorious, following his Goddaughter. The Company remained, looking at Thorin bemusedly. "You've right cocked _that_ up." Nori smirked cheekily. "Even if she doesn't come, now none of us have a chance of getting into her bed!" He finished with a vulgar flourish of his pale, long-fingered hand.

Most of the Company roared with laughter. Dori whacked him, Thorin glared, and Dwalin shook his head smugly, simply pointing over Nori's shoulder. He turned slowly, apprehensively, and came face to face with Bella's flirty grin.

She didn't even blush, or blink, just raised one red-gold eyebrow. "Sweetheart." She simpered sweetly, as an evil grin split her face. "If you wanted me in your bed..." She trailed off, sounding sultry before her voice gained a sharp quality. "You'd better join the queue of rejects." She snapped harshly, slapping him on the arse as she slid past. "Not that you wouldn't have been... Fun. I'm sure." She whispered gently into his reddening ear. "I'd tell you you had a chance even, but a _Lady_ doesn't lie." She mocked.

Nori turned bright red, and started stuttering incoherently, as Bella pushed gently past the other men and down the hall, with a swing in her hips. The second that she turned the corner, she stopped, and broke down starting to laugh quietly. _How long had it been for them since they were around a woman?_ She wondered curiously. Their eyes had burned into her back right until she turned out of their line of sight.

She gathered the spare sheets she'd originally gone to fetch from her linen closet, and made her way back towards the poor men.

They were still standing dazedly where she'd left them, in the exact spots, and as soon as Nori saw her approach again, his face once more matched his hair. "Pardon me, gentlemen." She smiled, winking. They parted for her like an ocean, and she walked back into where Gandalf was sitting patiently. The pirates followed her like moths to a flame, or ducklings, and she handed the sheets roughly to her Godfather. "Here. Seeing as _you_ aren't doing anything important, you can do these. I've let Prim have the rest of the day off. Good job too. She'd probably try to make off with one of them." She said offhandedly, showing her teeth slightly, and more faces reddened like her prized tomatoes.

Gandalf merely raised an eyebrow at her mockingly. Bella huffed, and pinched his ear like her mother had taught her to do. He winced and half-stood, following in a limping crouch as she dragged him forcefully to the stairs. She released him at the foot, and pushed her pile of cloth into his arms. "There's food left." She snapped harshly at Thorin, before moving herself and Gandalf out of sight, and sound of the others.

Quickly, she checked to make sure no one was listening. In her peripheral vision, she noticed a shape melt seamlessly into the shadows down the corridor. Well within hearing distance.

"Uncle..." She murmured, still aware that their listener could hear if he tried. She knew full well that the shadow would be listening to every word anyway.

"Yes, my dear?" He said gently. Too gently. She blinked rapidly, suddenly hearing her father in his tone.

"If I go wherever this is... It won't be like the other times, will it?" She asked resignedly.

Gandalf paused, with one foot on the step. He looked at her, with those twinkling eyes that she knew so well, and she could read it in their depths. "I... I cannot promise anything. If you do return, you may never be the same again. Your reputation... Your parents were still alive when last we adventured; now... People will use your departure against you. And still, I truly believe that this will be good for you."

Bella took a deep, shaking breath. She gave a curt nod, and turned on her heel. As she walked away, she hear Gandalf sigh. "My dear?" He said quietly. Too quietly for any eavesdropper to hear. She nodded once, sharply. "Whatever you do... I truly hope that you choose not what is best for you, but what makes you happiest." She bowed her head slightly. He must have taken this as agreement, as the next thing she heard was him moving up her stairs.

She was glad, for a moment that he couldn't see the tears gathering in her eyes. Then, reprimanding herself, she dispelled them. Gathering herself together, she straightened, took a breath, and marched away. She stopped, casually next to the spy holding his breath in the shadows, practically able to hear his heart beating. She grabbed his collar, fast as a viper, and pulled him into the adjacent and completely deserted sitting room. She spun, and released him into the room, standing with her back against the door, tilting her head slightly. He was trapped, now, and it was only a matter of patience.

As he blinked at her, half afraid, she very deliberately crossed her arms, leaned on the door, and waited, never ceasing her stare. He broke first.

"What?" Nori huffed, sounding slightly nervous and blinking rapidly. She smiled chillingly in victory.

"Oh, nothing. I would just like to know who sent you to spy on my _private_ conversations." Bella smiled conversationally. She advanced a step in his direction, and he backed off subconsciously. She repeated this without him realising, until the back of his knees hit a chair and he fell, her now towering over him. " _Darling._ " She purred, falling back on the seductive, raspy growl that had always gotten her whatever she wanted with men and women alike; information, or something else. "It is most rude to ignore a Lady when she speaks to you." She growled. She allowed herself to bend slightly forward, so the neckline of her dress fell just a tiny bit lower than it had before, revealing an inch or so more of her smooth, tanned skin.

Nori gulped desperately, his mind working frantically. He'd not even _spoken to_ a lass for almost six months. He looked at a fixed point over her shoulder; he would not break so easily! Bella simply waited. Seeing him getting a more determined look, with resolve in his eyes, she put one delicate hand on his cheek, forcing him to look into her eyes. He flinched. He opened his mouth, and she put a finger over it gently. He gasped very quietly, more like an exhale, but she noticed. He wasn't bad, for a pirate. Certainly, this lot were the cleanest she'd ever seen. He had such pretty hands, too. All delicate and dexterous, she mused.

He couldn't breathe, couldn't think. He _knew_ he'd spill any secret she asked for if she got any closer. Then, she leant forward even further, shifting her weight, and rested one knee gently on the outside of his thighs, just letting them touch. He honest to God _whimpered_. Bella looked away, faking a blush and smirked where he couldn't see her. Easy as stealing from a drunkard.

She looked into his glazed, desperate eyes, and brought her other knee up, on the other side of his legs, effectively framing them, and trapping him. She sat down, chest bouncing slightly. The poor lad looked ready to cry, but whether from joy, fear or desperation, she didn't know. Didn't care either. This was turning into a really fun game. It was imperative that she got some extra practice in. _If_ she ended up going, it would be absolutely essential to know who to manipulate with what moves. For example, this one would need just a bit of physical contact, maybe more if he'd been around other women.

Never breaking the eye contact until the last second, she leaned into him, and put her lips next to his ear, barely touching it. "Could you tell me what I want to know?" She whispered, just brushing his delightful little piercing. He nodded frantically. "Yes Ma'am. I'm Thorin's spy, ma'am. He just asked me t'see if you were trustworthy." He spilt out in a rush of words.

Without even a second's pause, Bella slid to her feet and was back at the door, one hand on the handle. "Thank you!" She smiled brightly, any trace of what he'd perceived as desire gone. " _Dearest_ , if you tell anyone about this, I'll tell them that you're no longer a trustworthy spy. They'll have you hung, drawn and quartered before you can say liar, and I'll _smile_ all the way through. Am I clear?" The pleasant smile never left and smile, and Nori's face never left it's half scared-half turned on look. He nodded shakily.

Bella sighed in a put-upon way, and went back to him. She crouched in front of him. "Maybe another time, yes? In different circumstances." She winked, before she gently leaned down and pecked him on the lips.

She left the room, only to run straight into Gandalf. "Dealt with?" He inquired softly. She nodded, smirking. "If anyone asks-”

"If anyone asks, you relented and were helping me the entire time we were gone." He winked slyly. The door opened once more. Nori stood, blushing once more, with an angry scowl on his face. Gently, Bella smoothed it out.

"M'lady. I'm Nori, if you remember. Our introduction was quite rushed." He grunted, sarcastic. "I appear to have gotten _lost_ in your wretched maze of a house. Would you kindly point me in the direction of the dining room please?" He muttered uncomfortably. She laughed, and it was like the sound of water in a brook. "Of course, my dear man." She answered, linking arms with him, and leading him back to the others.

When they looked up, with varying expressions of suspicion and surprise, she laughed loudly. "Fancy getting lost!" She exclaimed. "If anyone else does, I can't promise being able to find you again!" No one questioned her, and a silver haired pirate who may have been Nori's brother cuffed him over the back of his head and hissed something about not stealing from their hostess.

In no time at all, the men were taking over her dining room, and all talking at once. She stayed back, simply observing. None of the others seemed to realise she was there, except for Nori, who kept shooting shy/suspicious glances her way and grinning slightly. Finally, a map and key were produced, which led them to talk about other things, until at last, a contract was laid almost reverently before her.

Impatiently and without any ceremony, Bella snatched it. Quietly and quickly, she read through it, unruffled, until she got to the part about- "Evisceration... Incineration?" Her voice trailed off into a whisper. She looked up at the gathered faces, her eyes glazed. She wasn't seeing them any more.

She was sixteen in this memory, only a month into her majority.

**Before her eyes, the North wing of Bag End, where her parents slept, went up in deadly, flickering flames. She was running towards it faster than she'd ever run before, but her father caught her around the waist. She could hear her mother's cries for help, fainter by the second. She fell to her knees as her father let her go, running straight in. She soon heard him scream as well, and suddenly realised that her mother's cries had stopped. But she knew that it wasn't because she'd gotten out. She felt tears streaming down her face, and could feel the heat from where she knelt, metres away. It was blistering her, and she hadn't even gone in; couldn't go in. She heard popping and creaking as the roof caved in, and her father's cries had stopped too. She only realised this when she had to stop her own screaming. She didn't know she was. She could smell the smoke and the earth, then something more sickly. It took her a minute to realise it was the smell of her parents and possibly their maid and footman, cooking in the inferno. Tasting bile, she leant over and vomited into the dark ground before her, finally, mercifully, passing out.**

As the memory threatened to take her over completely, she was broken out of her reverie by a jolly, sarcastic, voice. Gandalf slowly stood up, squinting at her.

"Yep!" He snickered, popping the 'p'. "Smaug, chiefest and greatest of calamities. He's got a proclivity for burning. Like a dragon, you could say." He grinned, unaware of her panic.

"Dragon..." Bella whispered frantically, trying to stop another onslaught of memories.

"Well, yes. You know, like a furnace with wings?" He said encouragingly, even nodding at her rapidly paling face.

With the sounds of her parents' screams still ringing in her ears, and the smell of smoke in her nose, Bella quite unashamedly fainted, right there, in front of all of them.

As the Pirates watched in horror, she seemed to fall in slow motion. They shot out of their seats worriedly, and Gandalf reached her inches before she hit the floor. He caught her by the shoulders and gently lifted her into his arms, gazing down at her sadly.

"And you want _her_ to be our burglar? She faints at the mere idea of danger!" Thorin sneered derisively.

"Mama... No! No, Father! Don't... You'll burn! No, no!" Bella murmured restlessly. Gandalf closed his eyes for a second. He looked upon her creased, pained, face sadly. 

He carried her to the parlour, with the Pirates following. Bofur spoke first. "What..." He started uneasily.

"It's not my place to say. I told your _Captain_ not to mention fire." Gandalf spat.

"You expected me to remember? I have _far_ more important things to worry about than her! How was I supposed to know?" He demanded in reply.

Before Gandalf could respond, Bella stirred. They peered at her as she came round. "Wha- Gandalf?" She whispered groggily. 

"Bella, my girl. Are you feeling alright?" Gandalf probed gently.

She shot upright, as if just noticing the others. "Fine!" She growled, fighting a bout of dizziness. "Now, thank you for thinking of me, but no. I will not be going on this fool's quest."

She very nearly ran from the room. Gandalf followed, shutting the door. "Belladonna." He whispered, when they were completely alone.

"No! I know what you're going to say, and it's still a no!" She said firmly. 

"Bella. You know how I feel about you going, but if I must repeat myself... I had _no_ idea how much this would still affect you; if I had-" 

"You knew!" She shouted with venom pouring out of her very being. "You knew. That is how they _died_ , of _course_ it still affects me!" She hissed coldly. Then she opened the door on the thirteen pirates desperately pretending not to eavesdrop on them.

Bella ignored them completely. "We've made up the spare rooms for you. Gandalf, do show them where to go. _Sorry_ I can't be of more assistance." She said flatly, and left the room.

She rushed to her bedroom as fast as she could, and slammed the door shut behind her, leaning tiredly on it. There had been too many memories brought forth by their presence, and it had only been one _evening_. She could still hear the men talking, although it was in hushed voices. Then, like distant thunder rolling throughout the house came one voice. Thorin. He sung mournfully, of all that he had lost, the others slowly joining in. It was beautiful and haunting and it hit Belladonna like a tidal wave. She suddenly felt all the years of loneliness and pain she'd had since her parents had died come rushing back to her. Finally, she gave up and let herself go. She wept and wept, sobbing all of her hurts out until she had nothing left to give.

Slowly, the singers petered out until only Thorin's voice remained, solid as a rock, his presence tangible. Then he stopped also, his voice breaking with the feeling of it all. Like a thief in the night, she stole away into bed and fell into a deep, restless sleep.

She dreamed. She saw her home, and theirs, and fire. She saw Thorin's face, alongside her godfather's, and made her decision without conscious thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed, my little enchiladas! If you did, give me some sugar! Or, love and comments, that too. Remember, I have a Twitter, and a Tumblr, so if you feel like stalking me, I'm Weirdwolfteaser!
> 
> All the love! -Wolfy xx

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed, feel free to give me your love and any comments are welcomed happily! If you've got the time, check out my tumblr blog? I'm Weirdwolfteaser.  
> Anyway, thanks again, and all my love:
> 
> -Your Wolfy x


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